Reviews

This book is boring uninteresting and just garbage in general. Don't read the book it is bad.

..(04/25/14)

Great write up but..

Though I have to say she have really written the book well in terms of plotting it, her grammar and placement, throughout the book, I came to dislike the author herself.She kept mentioning how both Western and Chinese teaching are different and it is just a way to express it.I am find with that, but later it felt as if she is going against the Western type of teaching, as if it is something no one should ever do. I felt her earlier sentence of respecting both teachings are gone.In fact the way she treated her daughters are so upsetting. Everyone live in this world ONCE, brought up by you, and all you can do is to torture and threaten your children with words so hurtful I do not even know if she is raising a slave or a child. Yes it only gets fun when you know your basics, that I would agree whole-heartedly. In fact I am not surprise her daughter have been a great musician. But i notice she did not mention if her daughters are interested in music at all. If they did not, it meant that Amy herself have forcefully want her daughters to do things she wanted.One more thing i would like to point out, yes she may have controlled them, she made their 'dreams come true' and probably I say Amy has won. With such an attitude towards her daughter and her husband, NOT EVEN allowing his own love to give his opinion, I do not understand why, with such ignorant behavior to not only her family, but the society, is able to live with a pride which should be in shame.Look at your children Amy, look at how she tore that music sheet, stamped it, threw at you a chair in your face. Do you think you have solve that one problem you yourself had? Rebellious. Stop claiming yourself right, eventually you will see one day how it is felt like to be rebelled, to be in control by someone and be treated like a slave.Kudos on your writing, but never am I fond on how cold-hearted can one mother be.

mimi(02/23/11)

Boring

I found the book rather boring, slow and so repetitive. I did not find any part of it funny. The way she chose to raise her children is not totally Asian, other cultures have similar parenting styles. I love reading and love to learn, there was nothing to love about this story nor to learn.

Louise Jolly(02/19/11)

Chinese Parenting or Western Parenting?

Chinese parenting or Western parenting – which one is better? I never really gave much thought in the past about any specific differences between the two styles. I did, however realize that a lot of Asian children seem to be more ‘gifted’ academically, technologically, and musically but put it down to longer school hours and Saturday classes in the Asian world.

Battle Hymn Of The Tiger Mother is the true story of a Chinese Mom raising her two Chinese/American daughters in the Chinese parenting way. The level of respect, obedience, altruism, and integrity that is expected from the child(ren) is almost mind-numbing! An immensely enjoyable book that had me pulled in from the first page where Ms. Chua lists some things that Chinese mothers would NEVER EVER allow their Chinese children to do. I understood completely the comparisons and the clash of cultures and the bluntness and almost arrogant and insulting way these children are raised in.

In the end, who is the better parent? Well, that is for each of you to decide after you’ve read this amazing, humbling, and brutally honest story. I’d highly recommend this book to any one, I read it in one sitting. It mesmerized me and I really GOT IT as I'm sure many of you will too!

H. Lee(11/28/10)

A Scintillating Read: Meaningful, Humorous and Honest

This book really spoke to me, and I know that it will touch countless others. Like Chua’s daughters, I fall under the category of “model minority.” I grew up playing hours of piano, finessing my Korean, and striving for no less than A’s in school. While reading the book, I completely empathized with Sophia and Lulu. Why did I have to miss school field trips so that I could play the piano? Why were my friends rewarded for a B when my mother was asking me why I missed the one question preventing me from getting a perfect score? Even while empathizing with Chua’s daughters, however, I completely understood and agreed with Amy Chua’s parenting methods. Her book made me look back onto my childhood and despite the fact that I resented so much of what my mother made me do at the time, I am completely indebted to her now and appreciate her persistence and stamina.

Chua’s parental practices, which might sound terribly harsh to a Westerner, represent something totally different in the Asian cultural context. The truth is, the world is a harsh place, and Chua, like my parents and countless others, is preparing her kids with “tough love.” My mother often asked me, “Do you think it’s easy to be hard on you? I would love to be the parent who just plays with you all day. If you succeed and do well in the world, who does it benefit? Me? No, it’s you.” My mother’s tenacity in learning my coursework with me, memorizing my piano pieces, and guiding me through every step of the way has made me endlessly grateful to her. I know that I worked hard, but like Chua, my mother worked even harder and this can only be understood as a sign of their love for their children.

I am so glad that Chua has written a book that truthfully portrays the experience of growing up with Asian or what Chua dubs as “Chinese” parents. All of my Asian friends appreciate the sacrifices their parents have made for them, whether it is working round the clock in a 7-Eleven to fund their kids’ college educations, shadowing their children’s educational careers, or sacrificing their own professional careers to chauffeur their kids between school and extracurricular activities. Although many may have resented this parental attention at times, in the end, they have all appreciated the dedication of their parents and rather than cutting ties as soon as they turn 18, they plan on supporting their parents in their future. Chua perfectly captures this cultural style of parenting, and she does so with humor. She knows that her parenting techniques sound harsh, and she makes fun of how extreme she can be at times. Yet in every page of the book, we can catch glimpses of her love for Sophia and Lulu. For example, her music practice instructions to her daughters are filled with inside jokes and pet names. Chua’s witty way of describing her trials with her daughters and her honest descriptions of her daughters’ searing criticisms of her share with the public a style of parenting, that she does not argue as being the best, but as a different one, nonetheless filled with unconditional love and desire for her children to succeed and be prepared for the world outside the safety of their home. I highly recommend this fascinatingly captivating book to all parents and their grown children; it’s a reminder that parental love comes in all forms.

Kendra R. (New Orleans, LA)(11/21/10)

Enjoyable; discussion-raising

The book was engaging with short pointed chapters and unexpectedly (and perhaps unintentionally) humorous. I would have liked to have heard more from her husband's point of view. I didn't like how extreme her "Chinese parenting" seemed as a "Western parent," and how dismissive she was, but that very dislike made me think more about parenting styles and created discussion among friends.

Shelby(11/17/10)

Why bother?

Coming from the neighborhood where Amy Chua lives I had hopes of enjoying this book. Not so. The writing is too simple at best and although the topic of Eastern vs Western ways of raising children would make for an interesting discussion I found her way too strident and unyielding in her opinions. Yes we Westerners do worry about the happiness of our children more than we should but what is the end result of the unmerciful browbeating she subjects her daughters to? Perhaps they do "achieve", but at what price?

Vicky S. (Torrance, CA)(11/15/10)

Keeping An Open Mind

I was at times fascinated and appalled by Amy's recounting or her parenting wondering at times if she suffered from OCD. I also had to constantly keep an open mind and not condemn her culturally different parenting. Book clubs could feast on this book with rich discussions of the Western vs Chinese or Asian way of raising children. Could we really achieve much more if we were pushed hard and would we appreciate it later? I've shared the subject of this book with many others who are interested in reading it. The writing was a bit awkward at times which is why I gave it a 3.

Books that entertain, engage & enlighten

BookBrowse seeks out and recommends books that we believe to be best in class. Books that will whisk you to faraway places and times, that will expand your mind and challenge you -- the kinds of books you just can't wait to tell your friends about.

Newsletter

Subscribe to receive some of our best reviews, "beyond the book" articles, book club info & giveaways by email.